Traffic in a computer network can be analyzed to improve real-time decision-making for network operations, security techniques, etc. The traffic may be acquired at numerous entry points by a variety of devices and/or applications (collectively referred to as “nodes” in the computer network) to provide extensive visibility of network flow and security. Given the complexity and volume of traffic routed through many infrastructures, various kinds of network tools are often used to identify, analyze and/or handle security threats to the computer network, bottlenecks in the network, etc. Examples of such network tools include an intrusion detection system (IDS) or an intrusion prevention system (IPS).
A network tool can operate as an in-band (i.e., “inline”) device or an out-of-band device. Out-of-band devices operate outside of the path of data traffic between a sending endpoint node and a receiving endpoint node and receive copies of the data packets that make up the data traffic, rather than the original data packets. Out-of-band devices are able to freely modify the copies of the data packets because the original data packets are allowed to traverse the network unimpeded. Inline devices, on the other hand, operate within the path of data traffic between a sending endpoint node and a receiving endpoint node and receive and forward the original data packets. Consequently, vulnerabilities in the security of an inline device can pose a significant threat to the security of the computer network as a whole.
It may be desirable in some instances to deploy a network tool as an inline device rather than an out-of-band device. For example, an inline device may be able to more quickly and effectively identify security threats to the computer network than an out-of-band device. Although changing the deployment of a network tool is a relatively simple process, verifying that the network tool does not create a security vulnerability in the computer network can be difficult and tedious.